cadet blogs

This weekend I went home to take advantage of the last long weekend I will have that won’t be spent on homework, playing a sport, or catching up on sleep. I got an Amtrak ticket to Boston, which is pretty close to where I live, and I got the ticket with a military discount. While I was home, I got to see the new Lone Survivor movie with a military discount. And even riding the T (Massachusetts’ commuter rail train), I got a free ride for being in the military.

I was honestly humbled that all of these businesses have military discounts. It shows that people still respect our military members, and I greatly appreciate their support. In the midst of our long conflict in the Middle East and the tensions in Congress, some people have lost faith in our government. However, it is nice to see that the military members are still respected (at least where I live in the Northeast).

It is an honor to be a part of the United States military. Even though I am only in training to be an officer at school, I am still part of America’s armed services. If the United States needed the Coast Guard to go to war, we would join the Navy, and we would be deployed for active duty. Remembering this fills me with pride and reminds me that I joined the Coast Guard to protect and serve the people of the United States.

Thank you to all our readers who support our military, the Coast Guard, and the Academy. I am thankful for everything you do, no matter how small.

The second half of my 1/c summer has been very eventful. I had the opportunity to be a part of two different drug cases where there were narcotics on Venezuelan vessels. It was great finally getting an opportunity to do drug interdiction in the Caribbean. This mission is a more serious one in the Coast Guard because it can cause international incidents or put people in harm’s way. The personnel on the cutter I was on were very professional and took the mission seriously every step of the way. During the second part of the summer I was also able to do some migrant interdiction on the west coast of Puerto Rico. We encountered both Dominicans and Cubans. It was an unbelievable experience and unreal to think that people are willing to navigate that many miles in dangerous waters to get a chance of going to the United States. When we weren’t carrying out the mission, then we would enjoy some port calls. I got to drive the cutter into other islands in the Caribbean like St. Thomas, St. Croix and Tortola. We actually got to spend a couple of days in St. Thomas where we went to the beach and I met up with an old Academy friend who lives in St. Thomas now. I was on other islands that are unknown to people that aren’t Caribbean locals and saw some of the most beautiful beaches in the world, in part because they were so far removed from society. It was an overall great experience on a cutter based out of Puerto Rico.

I also spent about four weeks of that summer in Sector San Juan because the boat was experiencing a crew change so they needed to train other personnel and it exceeded the cutter’s maximum holding capacity. A lot of the jobs I did at sector were not as exciting as those on a cutter. My time at the sector included working in an office environment and doing paperwork; although I did have the opportunity to inspect containers that came from all over the world into Puerto Rico. The Coast Guard has the authority to inspect all the containers in the port for drugs, immigrants and other illegal substances. We didn’t find any contraband although there were a lot of random things to be found in the containers such as Styrofoam cups, mountain bikes, baseballs, plastic forks, etc. The good thing about working at sector is that the job is from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. for most of the days and then you are able to go home. So it is just like any other job anywhere else. This time off gave me the opportunity to go out and explore Puerto Rico with my shipmates.

(Choosing the Coast Guard Academy, Just for Fun, Class of 2017)Permanent link

I wish you success, health and happiness for this new year. After a long semester at the Coast Guard Academy, with its highs and lows, I finally achieved my objective: I carried out the semester and enjoyed a well-deserved rest. I feel sad being back at the Academy but at the same time I was very happy to have been able to enjoy my leave in Mexico surrounded by my family and friends.

I am going to tell you a little bit about the traditions in Mexico for this very special time of the year. During these days everybody is surrounded by family and friends with whom you enjoy delicious Christmas food and to have lots of fun. Before Christmas we do something called Posadas. The Posadas start every December 16th of the year and ends on Christmas day. Its objective is to prepare us for Christmas. The main activity is to ask Posada, by simulating being Virgin Mary and Joseph when they were looking for a place where Jesus could be brought to Earth. We sing villancicos, break piñatas and distribute aguinaldos. We enjoy fruit punch, candies, fruits and Mexican food. For the New Year’s party, we traditionally spend the night in surrounded by our family where we enjoy a delicious dinner with turkey, an apple salad, ham, apple sauce, cod, chipotles chili, etc. For the final countdown to begin the New Year, we traditionally eat twelve grapes. Every grape represents each month of the new year where we wish something we want to accomplish this year.

My vacations were pretty special because I had the opportunity to gather with all my family, my best friend from the Mexican naval academy, my other friends from the Mexican naval academy and to visit Mexico City, Puebla, Cordoba, Orizaba and Veracruz. I enjoyed the company of my best friend, Luz del Carmen Urista Mendoza. She and I have been friends since we started the selection process to attend the Mexican naval academy. We have been partners during the good and bad times. We grew up together achieving our goals day by day. At the same time, I enjoyed really good times with my parents and my brother. They were really happy of being with me but they got even happier with all the Coast Guard presents I bought for them. I shared my experiences with my friends from the Mexican Naval Academy while I joined them in their way back to my old academy. On the other hand, I enjoyed a lot the Christmas Holiday’s parties surrounded by my cousins, uncles, aunts and grandparents. It was a unique experience learning how to cook the Christmas dinner with my Grandmother from my mother’s side.

It was really sad to have to leave my country once again and make my way to a new semester at the Academy but it was worth it. These vacations reminded me of all the people for who I am here now and for whom I wake up every day and give the best of myself. My goals, my family and my friends are the fuel that encourages me to succeed. That is something we should never forget, because when hard times occur it is really easy to stop trying and quit. I thank God for bringing me back to my faith and for giving me the solution to minimize my difficulties and to keep on going.